1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to construction safety equipment. More particularly, this invention relates to footwear configured to be worn while the wearer is walking on an inclined roof, the footwear serving to greatly enhance the safety of the wearer when traversing a roof having a pitch of up to at least 12/12.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The Occupational Safety & Health Association (OSHA) currently requires the use of fall protection equipment anytime a worker is working six feet or more above ground. This requirement applies to workers in a variety of occupations, including roofers, firefighters, emergency rescue personnel, chimney sweeps and fireplace installers. Various equipment has been proposed for those who work on roofs, and particularly sloped roofs, such as those having a roof pitch of 4/12 or more. A common example of such equipment includes a full body harness worn by the worker and secured to a roof anchor attached to the roof peak. Notably, while the worker is securing the roof anchor to the roof, he or she is in violation of the OSHA rule unless additional safety protection equipment is used. Under some circumstances, full compliance with this rule can incur more time than the actual work performed on the roof. Consequently, there is the likelihood that a worker will not employ any fall protection equipment, and take an unnecessary chance of falling when ascending or descending a roof.
Various footwear has been proposed to permit the wearer to safely negotiate a sloped roof. Examples include U.S. Pat. Nos. 380,395 to Kramer, 974,941 to Wilkerson, 987,054 to Eves, 1,070,951 to Elliott, 1,103,108 to Van Wie, 1,107,208 to Styche, 1,232,114 to Sorley, 3,726,028 to Stokes and 5,259,125 to Gromes. Kramer, Styche and Stokes each teach footwear having an adjustable foot support that allows the wearer's foot to be positioned substantially parallel to the ground. Kramer's device includes a foot platform that is pivotally attached to the forward ends of a pair of frames, and adjustably attached to the rearward ends of the frames. Friction points at the rearward (downroof) ends of the frames provide the required traction when walking on a roof. A plate mounted to the platform is adapted to receive the wearer's shoe, and can be adjusted to face forward, sideways or rearward relative to the frames. In order to face or walk in a different direction on the roof, the wearer must adjust the plate to face in the desired direction.
A shoe taught by Styche is similar to that of Kramer, but includes a pair of base plates whose rearward (downroof) ends diverge from each other. As with Kramer, Styche's shoe relies on spikes to grip a roof surface. In contrast to Kramer, the wearer cannot alter the direction in which the wearer faces relative to Styche's shoe. Consequently, the wearer must face the peak of the roof at all times while wearing the shoes. Stokes discloses a roof shoe having a rigid base with a foot support platform that can be adjusted to incline as required by the roof to be walked. Contrary to Kramer and Styche, Stokes does not rely on spikes to grip a roof, but instead employs foamed plastic or rubber material that covers the entire lower surface of the base. As with the shoes of Styche, one wearing Stokes's roof shoe cannot alter the direction in which he or she faces relative to the shoe, necessitating that the wearer face the peak of the roof at all times.
While footwear of the type taught by the prior art enables the wearer to ascend a roof to secure a roof anchor for a body harness, each has shortcomings including a compromise between the roof pitch that can be climbed and the size of the footwear smaller shoes allow the wearer to place his or her feet closer together but reduce the roof contact surface necessary for traction with the roof surface. Each also relies on a relatively complicated structure to permit adjustment of the shoe pitch. Accordingly, further improvements in roof climbing footwear would be desirable, and particularly footwear having a relatively uncomplicated construction that allows the wearer to safely work in an upright position on very steep roofs, e.g., pitches of 12/12 and greater.